Donnie Darko Page #5

Donnie sits in the front.

MS. POMEROY

What is Graham Greene trying to

communicate in this passage? Why do

the children break into Old Misery's

house?

Joanie James raises her hand.

MS. POMEROY

Joanie.

JOANIE:

They wanted to rob him.

MS. POMEROY

Joanie, if you had actually read the

short story... which, at a whopping

thirteen pages must have kept you up

all night, you would know that the

children find a great deal of money

hidden in a mattress. But they burn

it.

The class gives an "Awwww ." Joanie blushes.

MS. POMEROY

Donnie Darko, perhaps, given your

recent brush with mass destruction,

you can give us your opinion?

DONNIE:

Well... they say it right when they

are ripping the place to shreds.

When they flood the house. That

like... destruction is a form of

creation. So the fact that they burn

the money is... ironic. They just

want to see what happens when they

tear the world apart.

(beat)

They want to change things.

Gretchen Ross stands at the doorway to the classroom.

MS. POMEROY

May we help you?

GRETCHEN:

I just registered, and I think they

put me in the wrong English class.

Ms. Pomeroy studies her.

MS. POMEROY

You look like you belong here.

GRETCHEN:

Umm, where do I sit?

Ms. Pomeroy thinks for a moment. There are several empty

chairs.

MS. POMEROY

Sit next to the boy you think is the

cutest. Girls, get up.

The whole class begins to freak out. The girls all get out

of their seats... eating this up. Ronald fixes his hair.

MS. POMEROY

Quiet! Let her choose.

Without hesitation, Gretchen scans the class for every guy.

As she gracefully takes her seat next to Donnie, they make

eye contact. Donnie grins ear to ear.

The class freaks out laughing.

INT. TAURUS - SUNSET (MONDAY NIGHT, 6 P.M.)

Eddie drives Donnie down Old Gun Road, a windy back-road

that goes towards the country.

EDDIE:

So how was school today?

DONNIE:

It was great. We had peanut-butter

sandwiches and apples and honey at

snacktime. And then during show-and-

tell, my stuffed walrus was a big

hit.

EDDIE:

Good Lord.

(beat)

So the construction guys say it'll

take about a week to fix the roof.

Damn airline better not f*** us on

the shingle match.

DONNIE:

Do they know yet?

EDDIE:

Know what?

DONNIE:

Where it came from?

EDDIE:

No... apparently they can't tell us

what happened yet. Something about a

matching serial number that got

burned.

(beat)

But I had to sign a form saying I

wouldn't talk to anyone about it.

DONNIE:

So we're not supposed to tell anybody

what nobody knows?

EDDIE:

You tell Dr. Thurman whatever you

want.

Suddenly, Eddie slams on the brakes and the station wagon

comes to a sudden stop.

EDDIE:

Oh, sh*t!

DONNIE:

Grandma Death.

Standing in the road directly in front of the car is Roberta

Sparrow (101 years old, a.k.a. Grandma Death).

Grandma Death lives in a modest brick house that sits back

in a huge grassy field that overlooks the entire town. Her

mailbox sits on the edge of Old Gun Road.

EXT. OLD GUN ROAD - NEXT

Donnie gets out of the car and takes Grandma Death's hand,

walking her back towards her mailbox. He opens it for her.

DONNIE:

No mail today.

(smiles)

Maybe tomorrow.

Grandma Death smiles back at him... and begins to walk slowly

back to her house. She then turns and takes Donnie's hands

into her frail grip.

GRANDMA DEATH:

(speaking slowly)

Every living creature... on this

earth...

(beat)

...dies alone.

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